Government to review stem cells guidelines

The government will set up a committee to re-examine and improve guidelines on stem cells research and initiate a research programme on it in a mission mode.

"The committee, to be constituted soon, will involve participation of both the Department of Biotechnology (DBT) and the Indian Council of Medical Research," M K Bhan, secretary, DBT, Government of India, said.

The joint committee would re-examine the current guidelines and improve upon them. The country already has stem cell guidelines. However, some fine-tuning was needed, he said.

Bhan said that the mission mode programme on stem cell research would aim at engaging people from different parts of the country so that scientists from basic and medical sciences set up a network.

"This network will help scientists review and support each other's work," he said on the fourth day of the 92nd Indian Science Congress here today.

The programme sees funding as a mechanism to promote stem cell research and would also support improvements in infrastructure, Bhan said adding new institutes and systems for stem cell research would be created in the existing system itself.

Alok Srivastav, professor at CMC Vellore, said prospects for stem cell research, especially the blood and marrow derived stem cells, was very bright.

Virendra Sangwan, director, Surgeon L V Prasad Institute, spoke on limbic cell divisions, particularly on the treatment of corneal opacity.

A special lecture was delivered by Vinton Cerf, 'the Father of Internet'. Cerf is also the co-designer of TCP/IP protocols. Cerf talked about how the packet radio net and packet satellite net became the core of the internet.

Cerf gave examples on the advanced usage of internet in future would be the access through refrigerators, surfboards, picture frames, surgeries with the same.

Ashok Jhunjhunwala, professor at Department of Electrical Engineering, IIT, Chennai, spoke on the advantage of having a commercial internet connection in Indian villages using an entreprenuer-run internet kiosk.

Meanwhile, The Pride of India Expo' was visited by chief minister Narendra Modi and several state ministers today. Meanwhile, hundreds of students of schools and colleges also visited the exhibition.